The low-down.

Thanks for checking in! Here's the deal -- done with school, worked hard all summer, time to see the world. Again.

To get started, we decided it would be best just to start with the basics -- where exactly Malaysia is and how long it will take us to get there. Here's map. You're welcome.

In roughly five hours (likely hours before you will read this) we will board a plane in Pittsburgh  and fly into JFK in New York. Flight time: a happy hour and half. Then it's going to get wild - our flight to Dubai will be just under 13 hours. We'll have a short layover there and then it's all aboard again for another charming eight hour flight into Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. We will get into Malaysia at 9:30 local Tuesday night. Then... well, we will have to find the bus station, buy a ticket and make our way three hours North to the small, mountainous town of Ipoh. All without speaking a word of the local language. Should be a laugh... Wish us luck! 

In Ipoh, we will be volunteering with a local bible school, Harvest Haven, that has offered to host us during our travels throughout the area. There won't be any students in school during our stay, but the campus hosts various summer camps and adult retreats that we will be helping with. Our contact and director of the school, Mr. John Lee, has been extremely helpful in our planning for this trip... but when asked what type of work we will be doing while volunteering... very vague. Chances are good we could be doing anything from washing dishes, to office work, to cleaning leaves out of the pool. It is strange not knowing what our days will be like while at the school, but we are excited for all that is unknown about this trip. And we will be sure to let you know just as soon as we do!

While making short trips from our base in Ipoh, the plan is to be in Malaysia for the first five to six weeks. From there, we will make our way North to the border of Thailand where we will be backpacking between hostels along the Western coast. Our Thai plans are open-ended for now -- but plans will be sure to include some of the world's best snorkeling and Asia's most flavorful cuisine. If we can pull ourselves away, we will head back to Kuala Lumpur for our flight home in mid-December. But let's not rush things. 

Check back soon -- there's bound to be a few good stories in the next 62 days.